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EVDOinfo Tip of the Week #22: MiFi 2200 Home Networking

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Thursday, 01 October 2009

EVDOinfo.com has long been your source for tips, tricks, hacks and suggestions for getting the most out of your EVDO service, and each week we will be highlighting a particularly interesting or popular topic in the "Tip of the Week" feature. To suggest future Tips of the Week, contact us at suggestions@evdoinfo.com or post your suggestions in the EVDO Forums.

Use your Sprint/Verizon MiFi to Set up a Home Network

The MiFi 2200 (available for Sprint and Verizon) is an all-in-one aircard + router

The Novatel MiFi 2200 has become an incredibly popular product for Sprint and Verizon users, but many users are unaware of some of its capabilities or confused about how to take advantage of them. The ability to create a home network with your MiFi is one such feature. Did you know that you can create a home network with your MiFi that will allow you to share files between the computers connected, remotely access other computers on the network, do network gaming, or share network printers - just like you would with a "regular" router?

You can, and it's easy! You'll just need to make a quick change to the MiFi's settings and then set up the computers that will be sharing the network, and you'll be all set.

In order to set up a home network with your MiFi, you'll first need to adjust some settings on the MiFi itself. The instructions in this tab will explain what you need to do, and then you will move on to setting up your computers.

Connect to your Mifi and log into the web admin by navigating to http://192.168.1.1 in your web browser and entering your password (the default password is "admin", but if you have changed it from the default, enter your password).

Once logged in, click on the LAN tab. This is where you can set the IP Address and Subnet Mask if you want your network to run from a certain IP address. This is OPTIONAL - you do not need to make any changes here. One thing to note is that if you set the IP Address to something other than x.x.x.1 you may experience some odd behavior from the MiFI, such as the page design for the firmware not loading properly and a dramatic decrease in network speed, so keep that in mind if you make any changes. If you have made any changes, click "Apply" to save them and you will then need to reconnect to the router with your new IP address.

click image to view full-size screenshot

On the LAN page you will also notice a section called Connected Devices. This is handy and you may want to leave this window open throughout your network setup. It shows the devices connected to the router along with their IP address.

Next, we'll make an adjustment to the Power Management page. Click on the Advanced tab and select Power in the ensuing menu. Some networked machines may have trouble remaining connected to the router if the router goes into standby mode, so it is important to set this to Never. Click Apply.

click image to view full-size screenshot

Your MiFi is now ready to be set up as a network with your computers. The rest of this guide is split up into sections by operating system type so you can hop to each one as needed and follow the steps for each machine on your network. Select your OS below:

Networking OSX with the MiFi 2200

There are just a few things you'll need to do to get your Mac networking with your MiFI. First, we will want to make sure that the Mac Firewall is configured properly to allow access to shared resources:

Click on Apple and then System Preferences.

Click on Security and then click on the Firewall tab.

Select "allow all incoming connections" and then close Security.

click image to view full-size screenshot

Next, we will add the Mac to your workgroup:

Click on Apple and then System Preferences.

Open Network and select the interface you are using to connect to the network (in our example, we're using AirPort).

Click on the Advanced button and then click on WINS

In the Workgroup blank, type in the name of the workgroup you want the Mac to be a part of (if this is the first computer you're setting up you can make up any name; for all subsequent computers you're setting up you'll type that same name).

Click on OK, then Apply and close Network.

click image to view full-size screenshot

The next step is to create an account that you'll use when connecting to the Mac over the network so that your existing account is not compromised. This is optional but highly recommended!:

Click on Apple and then System Preferences.

Click on Accounts and then add an account on the left.

Create the account as Standard, add a name, short name, and password then click on Create Account.

Close Accounts.

click image to view full-size screenshot

Our last step is to configure sharing and add share folders:

Click on Apple and then System Preferences.

Click on Sharing.

In the column on the left, place a check next to File Sharing. If you plan to share a printer via the network or allow remote management, you can check those options here as well.

Under Shared Folders, you can add the folders you'd like to share with the network by browsing for them and clicking Add

Once you have your shared folders added, highlight them and on the right you can add or remove users and change the sharing permissions for each user. If you added an account specifically for sharing in the previous step, now is the time to add that account and remove your own account.

click image to view full-size screenshot

For folders you want to share with Windows computers on the network, there is one additional step. Highlight the folder you want to share and click on Options. Add a check to Share files and folders using SMB. Below that you will also want to specify wich accounts can access the folder. If all the computers on the network use Mac OSX, you can skip this step.

click image to view full-size screenshot

Close Sharing and reboot the machine to complete sharing setup for the Mac.

Your Mac is now set up to work on your MiFi home network. If you need to set up a Windows Vista or XP machine, use the links below:

Networking Windows Vista with the MiFi 2200

Before setting up your Vista computer, please note: Vista from its inception has not played well with others as far as networking. It still does not. You cannot use Vista in a domain environment and User Account Control tends to halt the process you are currently implementing to ask if you are sure you wish to do so, causing the process to fail. For best networking results, we highly recommend turning User Account Control off, at least while making the following changes to your system. If you're not sure how to do this, see the Common Issues tab.

To add your Vista machine to your network, follow these steps:

Click on the Start menu and select Control Panel in the second column.

If necessary, switch to Classic View with the link in the upper left corner, then open the System icon.

Click on the Advanced System Settings link in the lefthand column.

In the next panel, click on the Computer Name tab.

Click on the Change button to rename the computer. Give your computer a new name or leave it the same at your discretion.

In the Workgroup field, add name of your workgroup (if this is the first computer you're setting up you can make up any name; for all subsequent computers you're setting up you'll type that same name). Click on OK.

click image to view full-size screenshot

You will get a popup saying "Welcome [workgroup name you specified]"; close it. When prompted, click Restart Now to reboot the computer.

Once your computer has re-started, you will want to make a few more setting changes. This is where longtime windows users tend to get stuck, thinking their network setup is complete - it's not!:

Click on the Start menu and select Connect To in the second column. .

In the Connect To window, click on the link to open Network and Sharing Center at the bottom.

Once Network and Sharing Center is open you will see a section called Sharing and Discovery at the bottom of the page. Refer to the following list and make sure that your settings in this section match the ones in the list. IMPORTANT: There is an Apply button in the "details" for each section, and you must click apply for each change you make - not just the last one!

Network Discovery: ON

File Sharing: ON

Public folder Sharing: optional, creates a default public share folder

Printer sharing: optional

Password Protected Sharing: OFF (this feature does not work)

Media sharing: optional, but OFF is recommended as it tends to slow a network down when on.

Once you have applied all your changes, reboot your computer.

Your computer is now set up for networking. If you wish to share a folder on this machine with others on the network, do the following:

Right-Click on the folder to be shared and select Sharing from the menu.

In the blank with the Add button following it, type in "everyone" and click Add. When done you should see "everyone" listed below.

Change the Permission Level according to taste. A Co-owner can add and delete files just like they were using the computer directly, a Contributor cannot delete files but can do anything else someone at the computer could, a Reader can only look at and open the files in the folder. Once set, click on Share and then Done. Reboot the machine in order for Mac computers to see the shared folder.

If you need to set up a Windows XP or Mac OSX machine, use the links below:

Networking Windows 7 with the MiFi 2200

Click on the Start menu and select Control Panel in the second column.

If necessary, switch to "View By: Large Icons" with the link in the upper right corner, then open the System icon.

Click on the Advanced System Settings link in the lefthand column.

In the next panel, click on the Computer Name tab.

Click on the Change button to rename the computer. Give your computer a new name or leave it the same at your discretion.

In the Workgroup field, add name of your workgroup (if this is the first computer you're setting up you can make up any name; for all subsequent computers you're setting up you'll type that same name). Click on OK.

You will get a popup saying "Welcome [workgroup name you specified]"; close it. When prompted, click Restart Now to reboot the computer.

Once your computer has re-started, you will want to make a few more setting changes. This is where longtime windows users tend to get stuck, thinking their network setup is complete - it's not!:

Click on the Start menu and select control panel in the second column. .

In the Control Panel window, click on Network and Sharing Center at the bottom.

Once Network and Sharing Center is open, click on the link called "Choose homegrown and sharing options" at the bottom of the page. Then click on the "Change advanced sharing settings". Refer to the following list and make sure that your settings in this section match the ones in the list.

Network Discovery: ON

File Sharing and printer sharing: ON

Public folder Sharing: optional, creates a default public share folder

Password Protected Sharing: OFF (this feature does not work)

Media sharing: optional, but OFF is recommended as it tends to slow a network down when on.

Click Save changes, then reboot your computer.

Your computer is now set up for networking. If you wish to share a folder on this machine with others on the network, do the following:

Right-Click on the folder to be shared and select Share with…Advanced Sharing from the menu.

Check "Share this folder" and then click the "Permission" button. Set Permissions to allow whether you want others to be able to have full control, change files, or read-only access.

Click Apply & OK.

Finally, click Apply & OK in the "Advanced Sharing" window. Other people on your network will now be able to access shared folders on your network.

If you need to set up a Windows XP or Mac OSX machine, use the links below:

Common Networking Problems and Solutions

Networking can be tricky to set up, but before you get frustrated, read this section carefully as there are work-arounds for many common issues!

Turn User Account Control On/Off in Vista: User Account Control is the feature of Windows Vista that you might have seen on occasion that dims the entire screen and locks the whole machine up until you respond to a question such as "are you sure you would like to perform the following action?" While this feature was implemented to help protect your computer when making a major change to it, Windows' definition of a "major change" is questionable; creating a folder generally is not considered a catastrophic event and really shouldn't be treated as such. When setting up networking on your Vista machine, you will probably want to turn this feature OFF. The following is a quick guide that will show you how to turn this feature off and on. (Note: You must be logged in as an Administrator to make this change.)

Click on the Start menu and then click on the User Image at the top of the right column (this will be a chess piece, snowflake, cathead, goldfish etc)

Click the "Turn User Account Control On or Off" link.

To turn the feature OFF, simply un-check the "Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer." option and then click OK. Restart the machine when prompted.

click image to view full-size screenshot

To turn the feature back on, follow the above step and place the checkmark back on the "Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer." option; then click OK. Restart the machine when prompted.

Vista "Loses" Folders Shared on Mac: Windows Vista machines are often unable to see some shared folders on Mac computers, and after seeing them the first time Vista will no longer see them again until rebooting the machine and reconnecting to the network. To keep from losing the folder once it is discovered, right-click on the folder as soon as it is discovered and select Map Network Drive. This causes the folder to be reconnect every time the machine restarts and keeps the folder from disappearing!

click image to view full-size screenshot

Mac can no longer "see" Windows machines on the Network: Occasionally, Mac computers will not be able to detect Windows machines on the network even though the Windows machines can see and connect to the Mac. To resolve this, follow these steps:

In Finder on your Mac, click the Gomenu and select Network.

From the View menu, select Customize Toolbar.

Drag the Connect icon to the toolbar and click on Done.

Click on Connect icon in the toolbar.

In Server Address blank, type in smb://Name or IP address of the Windows computer (do not actually type "name or IP address", substitute the name or the IP address of the computer you're havig trouble connecting to).

Click on Connect and this will prompt you to log in to the Windows machine. You can select Guest or log in with a Windows username and click Connect.

You will then be presented with a list of shared folders, select the ones you wish to mount and click OK. The computer added will now show up under Network.

Networking Windows XP with the MiFi 2200

To add your XP machine to your network, follow these steps:

Click on the Start menu and select Control Panel in the second column.

In Control Panel Classic View, open the Network Setup Wizard (in Category view this will be under Network and Internet Connections).

This will bring up a standard Windows Wizard that requires you to click Next a lot. When prompted, select "This computer connects to the Internet through a residential gateway or another computer on my network". Fill in the Computer description and Computer name with whatever you choose to call your machine.

For Workgroup, add the name of your workgroup (if this is the first computer you're setting up you can make up any name; for all subsequent computers you're setting up you'll type that same name).

click image to view full-size screenshot

Select Turn on file and printer sharing.

At the end of the Wizard, you will be asked how you want to set up other machines on the network - select "Just finish the wizard. I don't need to run the wizard on other computers."

Reboot the computer and you will be ready to join the network!

To share a folder on this computer with others on the network, follow these steps:

Right-click on the folder you wish to share and select Sharing and Security

Place a check in the box next to Share this Folder on the Network and give the folder a share name. Optionally, you can also check or uncheck the Allow Network Users to Change my Files option depending on your preference (if you un-check that option, others on the network will only be able to view the files, they won't be able to edit them).

click image to view full-size screenshot

NOTE: If these options are greyed out, it is because the folder you are trying to share is nested in a private folder. Either copy this folder to another location and share the copied folder or click on the "another folder" link at the bottom of this panel. This will take you to the properties of the parent folder that is keeping the folder from being shared. THIS IS NOT THE PROPERTIES PAGE FOR THE FOLDER YOU ARE TRYING TO SHARE! If you are aware of the risks associated with removing privacy from what is most likely your profile folder, un-check "Make this Folder Private" at the top of this panel and click OK. Once permissions have been set you can now go back to the folder you want to share and repeat these steps to share it.

Reboot the computer.

If you need to set up a Windows Vista or Mac OSX machine, use the links below: